One of the things I love about having this site is that it gives me a platform to spread the word about things I love, especially when those things come from small businesses. I love seeking out new brands, supporting entrepreneurs, and unearthing hidden gems.
Today I get to share a brand that’s SO new, they literally JUST launched on Kickstarter. Meet Do Lyfe Activewear: a new fitness fashion brand aiming to bring high-quality workout clothes without the super-premium price tag. You may have noticed that the price point of just about every high-end active brand out there is creeping higher and higher. These days, there’s an ever-decreasing number of brands out there for people who want better quality than what the bargain bins offer, but aren’t on board with forking over $150 for every new pair of leggings. That’s where Do Lyfe comes in.
I got the chance to test drive a pair of their brand new leggings and see if they lived up to their claims. Here’s what I thought.
Thanks to Do Lyfe for sponsoring this post and having me as a part of their launch campaign. As always, all opinions are my own.
When the founder of Do Lyfe reached out and asked if I would consider talking about their leggings, I admit I was really nervous. Since they’re brand new, I had nothing to go off of but her word that they were great. I really didn’t want to get the leggings and end up not liking them (awkward), but I decided to take a chance anyway.
Well, taking a chance totally paid off! As soon as I pulled these out of the package, I was immediately impressed. In fact, when I tried these on, I was just about to head to the gym. I liked them so much that I didn’t even bother changing into the outfit I had planned, and instead just kept these on and rolled out!
The fabric feels silky, soft, and just a tiny bit “spongy”. It’s slick, not cottony. Even better, I found them to be 100% opaque, even in a deep squat. The fabric is the aspect that impressed me the most about these pants. I can honestly say they’re just as good (and in some cases better!) than the leggings that cost me 2x as much.
So, how much will these cost you? $53. Seriously.
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My pair is a size XS and the fit turned out perfectly I’d recommend going with your normal size in active bottoms, but I agree with Do Lyfe’s recommendation of going up if you’re in between sizes. The rise is medium-high and lands a little below my belly button. The length is ankle length on me, so expect them to be more of a long crop if you’re significantly taller than my 5’3″ stature.
As I mentioned above, I worked out in these right away after I received them. They performed well, staying in place and not rubbing in any uncomfortable spots.
Despite their low price tag, these are anything but bare bones in terms of details. I love the black and white, since the little bit of white brightens things up without being totally impractical.
The mesh at the back of the knee gets points for both style and function: the mesh panel is wide enough to actually provide some venting for your legs. Everything is flat-seamed, and the figure-flattering seam placement is a nice plus too. The seams are very tight with no loose threads at all.
There’s a back zip pocket at the waistband for smaller items like keys or a card. For larger storage, there’s actually a front pocket.
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The front pocket has an invisible zip closure and is plenty large enough for my iPhone 6. As you can see in my pictures, the pocket is quite wide, so you can scoot your phone off to the side. If you’re running or squatting, though, you might feel your phone up against your hip crease, but moving it the outside edge of the pocket helps with that.
One very tiny detail is that the zipper pull is located to the inside of the leg when it’s closed, which puts it in a slightly awkward spot. This doesn’t bother me too much since my top usually covers it anyway, but it’s worth mentioning if you think it might bother you. I’m told this will most likely be switched in future designs.
These do not have a gusset (and instead just have a “+” seam at the crotch), but this didn’t cause any issues for me in terms of fit or feel.
Do Lyfe’s launch includes 6 pairs of leggings and crops to choose from. If the pair I tried is any indication, I bet you can expect similar quality from their other designs as well.
Overall, I’m so impressed with what Do Lyfe was able to accomplish with these leggings. I don’t know how they managed to do it, but they really do offer a product that I think is a much better value compared to a lot of other big brands in the luxury active fashion world.
If you’d like to support Do Lyfe as they get their business started and get a sweet pair of workout tights in the process, you can back their Kickstarter campaign. A pair of leggings can be yours for as low as a $49 pledge. And, if you pledge for more than one pair, the price per pair drops even further. It’ll take a few weeks for them to get to you, but your patience will be rewarded with a killer price. I really think these are well worth their price tag. I can’t wait to see what else Do Lyfe has up their sleeve.
Going to check out these tights – but I Love your top! What is it? :)
In case you’re not the same as the FB question, it’s the Heroine Sport performance tank! One of my favorites, it’s so soft.
I followed the link to Kickstarter to read more but sadly the campaign is not active.
From the website:
THIS PROJECT IS NOT LIVE
This is only a draft that the creator has chosen to share.
The campaign is live! We launched around 10am this morning :)
Here is the link:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1350148438/affordable-premium-active-apparel-without-retail-m?ref=user_menu
Yup, my post was just ahead by a couple of hours. :)
Interesting – I like the concept!
I have to say though, it make me nervous when a brand is half the price of everyone else without a clear explanation. They say they “cut out the middle man” on their kickstarter page, but anytime someone is offering the same product at half the price I worry that there are shady things happening – children sewing perfect flat locked seams, third-world factory worker abuse, low quality, etc. Since the quality seems to be there, and since they guarantee the quality for 2 years (so awesome!!), I would love to know where the cost cutting comes from in more detail. I am by no means accusing them of being “shady”, but rather saying that I worry about shadiness when costs go down this much. If the Do Lyfe people are reading this post – please by all means share with us! I would love to hear more, and in general I think it would help your campaign to disclose HOW you make these so cheap with more transparency. At least one person would appreciate it :)
P.S. Suzanne, I have been preparing myself for your inevitable 3-4 week blogging break coming up, and when we didn’t hear from you for a week I thought you had left without a goodbye! Lol. Hopefully you will let us know and allow us to offer you best wishes for a happily ever after and a fantastic honeymoon <3
Hi Carrie!
Thanks for your candid feedback. It’s very helpful to hear these concerns now so we can address them early on. Our prices are less because we sell directly to consumers online verses selling to the big box retailers such as Nordstrom, or having a store like Lululemon who has rent, employees, electricity, etc. Our manufacturing costs are the same, if not more expensive than the popular brands since our quantities aren’t as large yet. Our focus is more about providing an affordable product than it is make the huge profit margins that the Lululemon’s of the world make.
I completely understand your skepticism which is why i researched for over a year to create these products. I could have easily gone to market 9 months ago with a cheaper fabric but it was extremely important to me to find both quality and value. And if for any reason you are unhappy with our leggings, feel free to return them for a full refund :)
Wow, thanks so much for your response!
For what it’s worth, I think the readers here are likely wondering more about how your prices are so much lower than other similar start-up brands (e.g., Werkshop, Alala) that also sell online directly to consumers while doing their best not to be shady (Lululemon is most definitely shady). As Danika asked below, where are your products manufactured?
Regardless, I really like your leggings and appreciate your response to my comment! Thank you so much!
Of course, I am happy to answer! I’ve spent over a year researching my manufactures in Asia, and have learned that what the name brands are charging has become the new normal. Women are accustomed to paying high prices for their activewear but many are unaware of the high profits associated with it. The reason I started Do Lyfe Activewear was because I couldn’t afford the high prices that were charged and became frustrated once I learned that they cost a fraction of the price to make. I have certainly compromised my profits without compromising my quality and there for i will just have to do much larger quantities to build my brand to the size of the big brands!
If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to ask :)
Thanks again :)
It looks to me that most wholesale prices are about 50% of retail. So, with that in mind, their model seems to be a “wholesale to consumer”, bootstrapped kind of setup. But yes, I definitely don’t blame your trepidation. I’d like to see a little more transparency from many brands as far as supply chain is concerned as well. Precious few active brands seem to take that approach.
Also: I did indeed leave without saying goodbye, because announcing an extended absence over such a public platform kind of gives me the heebie jeebies. D:
I am wondering too about how they were able to have prices this low. Where are the products manufactured (what country)?
We are manufacturing from Asia and are using the same manufacturer as several of the big name brands :)
Hi Suzanne, can you compare the compression factor of these with some other brands? They look really cute on you, very flattering.
Oops, totally meant to include that in my post! I would say the compression is light to medium. Not super compressive, but it’s not all hanging out either.